Circumstances have forced me to make a few hard decisions. Most notably: The website on which we’ve been hosting our mixes, SoundCloud, has suddenly made it very difficult to post anything related to a music mix. Here’s what happened: Some major record labels recently signed with Soundcloud, and in the aftermath, Soundcloud has rocked the DJ/mixing world by pulling all sorts of stuff offline, and issuing a lot of copyright notices.

Let me clear: The labels have the right to do this. But that doesn’t necessarily make it right. Artists like me are seeing our mixes being removed, even though we are giving all artists proper credit, and not selling any of this music.

There is not another viable service to use to host mixes at this point; many of my colleagues and I have been shocked to see this happen. As a result, I have to change a few projects around—including this monthly mix/column.

I’ll still contribute to the Independent when possible, and will always be working on new things. Who knows what the future will bring? Keep up and in touch at www.alexharrington.co, and thanks, as always, for all your support.

Since you’re from L.A., what has it been like transitioning to being a Coachella Valley resident?

As far as living day to day, it’s actually been a great transition for me. It’s paradise everyday and night here. Plus, I’m extremely lucky to have my DJ residency at the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs. … Nevertheless, being born and raised in L.A., I do miss a good local scene. In Palm Springs, I feel like it’s not here ... yet. I do see it changing. I’m betting it will come when Bardot, (the new nightclub) at the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, opens (tonight), where I will be curating events.

What would you say your style or favored genres are?

Dance music. Always dance music. Anything beyond that is a discussion I don’t get into.

What would you consider your "best" gig?

Coachella. Set-wise, it was a mess, though. I don’t normally plan my DJ sets in their entirety, but for some reason, I got obsessed with it just for that gig. I worked on it for about a month. … Thirty minutes before my set time, I was told instead of DJing for 45 minutes, I would be DJing for three hours in the Sahara Tent. … It wasn’t bad or anything; it just wasn’t great. At heart, I’m a club DJ, and I mean club DJ in the old-school sense of the word. I tend to play to what I think would make the best experience for my crowd.

Paparazzi has a lot in store for Palm Springs, make sure you follow him on his social media to keep up with it all!

This month, we welcome guest mixer SynthEtiX, aka Alvaro Sandoval (right). I asked him several questions about him and his music. Check out his DuneCast below!

How long have you lived in the Coachella Valley?

I was born and raised in the Coachella Valley. Nothing beats the summer and winter seasons, and the surrounding mountains.

What would you say your “style” is with your music?

I take influence from techno and house. I focus on percussion grooves and a jazz-style call-and-response technique.

What got you into being a DJ and producing?

Thanks to my family influence, I’ve always been a musician and surrounded myself with creative individuals. I started writing classical music (for the challenge) when I was in high school, and I was no good at it. (Ha ha!) But I learned to push myself and funnel my stress, happiness and other feelings into motivation.

I would like to start off by thanking all of the Coachella Valley Independent readers who have ever taken the time to check out my little column here. For almost two years, I’ve been allowed to fill this space with my mixes and minor rants.

I have recently been inspired by our music scene to the point where I truly want to develop something in it: I have started a record label and music collective called DuneDisco. The idea is to connect the Coachella Valley’s music fans, from listeners to DJs, with each other—and the broader music world. Our desert is unique and a perfect place to grow a wonderful music scene. Every month, we will feature a DuneCast mix and offer some insight into our local scene. This may include spotlights on local artists, musicians or writers—anyone with a connection to the growing scene. Musically, the idea is to bring you the best in house and dance music, with an emphasis on the unknown and upcoming.